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2.05.2013

New Vegan Style Clam Chowder and a little male bonding

I'm sure you've all been dying with suspense to find out what we made for Superbowl Sunday.

Was it some sort of fancy dip? Did we turn some mundane entree into a trendy appetizer? Perhaps we spruced up a fan favorite?

Braeburn enjoying some football with papaw

Alas, we went with something tried, true and traditional.

New England Style Clam Chowder.

Minus the clams. And the cream. And all the other animal-riddled ingredients.

I'm sure you're wondering how the heck you go about making "clam" chowder without any clams, but you'd be pleasantly surprised by how well the combination of diced oyster mushrooms and portobellos fit into the chowder. I know, I know, fungus doesn't seem like it could replace a clam, but it really, really does.

I'm not going to lie. The making of this chowder was slightly arduous, but the end result was so close to the original dish that this is the kind of thing you make an exception for.

So get out your fungi, soy creamer, your favorite seaweed and some cashews, because vegan clam chowder is coming to a dinner table near you.

Directions:
Soak cashews overnight in water (you want them softened for the puree). Next, peel and dice potatoes and boil on medium to high heat until tender. Take half of these cooked potatoes and set aside. Place the other half in a food processor with your soaked cashews and 2 cups of almond milk and blend until it forms a nice puree. If your processor gets bulked up easily just do two batches instead of one big one. Dice up your mushrooms, onion and celery and minced garlic and cook in a saute pan with a little olive oil on medium heat for 15 minutes. In a large stock pot, pour in cashew, milk, potato puree and add creamer, vegetable broth, stick of butter, liquid smoke and nutritional yeast. Stir in paprika, onion powder, seaweed, bacon bits and remaining potato chunks. Cook on low to medium heat. Add in contents from the saute pan and cook until desired warmth is reached (about 10 minutes or so). Serve with a slice of crusty bread!